+Renegade Knight Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Just reiterating what I've already said in other threads like this... I find a big pile of discarded flowers at the edge of the grounds more disrespectful than a cache near a cemetery. ... Sometimes the signs posted by the grounds folks are more disrespectful than anything short of vandalism. They say in so many words. "Our need to mow the lawn "our way" is far more important than you paying your respects according to your custom. Therfore we will remove and throw away anything we don't like because you were too stupid to follow our rules." Quote Link to comment
+mndvs737 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 My wife and I started a local multi this weekend that starts in a large local cemetery. You have to find a certain grave and use information gathered to proceed to Stage 2. We were able to get the information without causing any sort of disturbance, and she actually set some flowers that had fallen over upright on a headstone as we headed back to the car. The cemetery also has a virtual in it, yet the virtual does not use any gravesites -- however, it is truly a unique location and there are probably not many other locations like it (it is claimed to be the only one in the world). We have also done traditional finds that focus on cemetaries -- the large majority of these have been within the land owned by the cemetary, but have been placed outside of any burial area (i.e., a buffer strip of trees between the cemetary and adjoining property) -- you get to see the history, but have minimal impact to the gravesites. Those that we have found hidden inside the burial areas have been respectful and have not used headstones or gravesites as hide locations -- they have used trees, gazebos, picnic tables, etc. as the hide -- again, you are brought to an interesting area, but again your impact is minimized. We definitely appreciate when the cache owner states on the cache page that no headstones or gravesites need to be disturbed to make the find -- we would not do that anyway, but it lets us know that the cache is not somewhere we would not search. Quote Link to comment
+Castle Mischief Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 We definitely appreciate when the cache owner states on the cache page that no headstones or gravesites need to be disturbed to make the find -- we would not do that anyway, but it lets us know that the cache is not somewhere we would not search. Yes. I've done this on my cemetery caches also. Best to head that off right at the start, both to let people know that they will be near a cemetery (if they don't want to look there) and so that you don't put cachers in the wrong place at the wrong time. Quote Link to comment
+Manville Possum Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share Posted March 23, 2009 A new cache just went active in our area (S.W. Virginia) and the driving dirictions showed it to be on the roadside near a public cemetary but when I got to the cache site it was inside the cemetary. (Placed with permission of the grounds keeper) I knew that the cache was hard to find according to other logs and the bush that it is in looked like it had been muggled. I thought it was inconsiderate and disrespectful to place a cache inside a cemetary so I did not attempt to find it but I did post a note stateing that I thought it was a poor place for a geocache. I have found/logged geocaches near cemetarys, along the fences & ect. but I don't know of any that are inside of a cemetary. Then I got some emails (not from the cache owner) suggesting that I delete my note, which I did. I would like to hear input from fellow geocachers on this matter, thanks. Looks like both you and the cache owner did your homework. Your note would have been better served as an email to the owner. Noting that the finders are having an impact on the area is important information for the cache owner (and groundskeeper) to have. That way they can adjust the hide or archive it if needed. That said there is nothing whatsoever inherently disprespectful about a cache inside of a cemetary. Some cachers have mentioned having a cache on their market when they pass. Reality is we bring our own thoughts and ideas to the table. When I watched the movie "Australia" I was suprised to see a note for Aboriginies saying the names of the dead were mentioned. They explained it in the movie and I understood. Jews will place a stone on a grave as a sign of respect. That doesn't strike me as something I would do to be respectful. I'm more inclined to pause in thought, but both are respectful. Something to ask yourself. Where does the edge of the cemetary begin? I dont like stepping over someone if I know they are under ground. 2' over I don't mind. Thats my 'edge' and it has nothign to do with a fence. Our local cemetary has fenced off about 2 acres of open space for expansion. The fence is an artifical line that doens't have a lot to do with where sacred or respect starts. However in your case it does appear to be where your personal line starts. It would pay some dividends to search your soul and better understand why you feel the way you do. Then when you are out in the world where you may be passing near, over, or on top of where someone died and it was unmarked lost in the sands of time (like at your fishing hole) you can at least understand why it's ok that you are not paying your respects there, where you do when you know and why that's ok. I understand what you are saying. I was mostly concernd about the impact around the area. There is a real nice flag pole and stone seats near this cache that would be a great spot for a small cache, but now that I think about it I would say it is too close to the other cache in the wooded area or the cache placer would have chosen that spot. The cache placer is a very considerate person and would not disrecpect anyone on purpose. I have a better understanding on cemetary caches now thanks to all of the geocachers that shared their opinion with me, and as for the person that said that I'm just nuts? Well, I walk around in the woods wearing camo with a hiking stick, GPS and a camera. Sorry, but you did'nt get no cherry! Ya'll have fun now, ya hear? Thanks again for your opinions. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 ...I was mostly concernd about the impact around the area.... Always something to look out for on any cache. This was a lesson I learned the hard way from a bad placment on my part. Quote Link to comment
+Yeahoh Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I have placed 5 caches in cemeteries. These all are old, forgotten, and uncared for. For each one, I have done extensive research (local library/internet) to place in the listing/cache. Each cache has a theme, they are not just placed there. I also include a typed list of EVERY person who is buried at the cemetery and include that in the cache itself. The caches are all towards the back and well away from any tombstone. I have always received great feedback from the logs with the most popular quotes being, "Thanks for bringing me here, I never new it existed" and "Thanks for the History lesson!". Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 (edited) I believe in a happy and eternal life. I believe those of us who are left behind should be glad in the certain belief that those who have gone before, who believed in Him have entered into that happier life...I therefor know that cemeteries of today are wrong because they depict an end, not a beginning...I therefore prayerfully resolve on this day....to endeavor to build Forest Lawn as different, as unlike other cemeteries as sunshine is to darkness.... I shall try to build...a great park, devoid of misshapen monuments...but filled with towering trees, sweeping lawns, splashing fountains, singing birds, beautiful statuary, cheerful flowers, noble memorial architecture with interiors of light and color, redolent of the worlds history and romances. I believe these things educate and uplift a community. Forest Law shall become a place where lovers new and old shall love to stroll and watch the sunset's glow, planning for the future or reminiscing of the past. A place where artists study and sketch, where school teachers bring happy children to see the things they read of in books, where little churches invite , triumphant in the knowledge that from their pulpits only words of love can be spoken. Where memorialization of loved ones shall be encouraged...a place where sorrowing will be soothed...because it is God's garden... Builder's Creed at the entrance to Forest Lawn Memorial Park (New Jersey Cemeteries and Tombstones - Veit and Nonesteid, Rutgers University Press - 2008) Edited March 24, 2009 by briansnat Quote Link to comment
Clan Riffster Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Just curious, but what was the general reaction you got when you asked for permission on these? On two of them I actually got to speak with a real human. Their eyes started glazing over when I started describing the activity. (I started with the "making folks aware of local history" angle) One owner said words to the effect of, "I don't want people poking around out there", and the other couldn't get past his liability concerns. The third has not responded to either of the letters I've mailed them. Quote Link to comment
+Lil Devil Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Just curious, but what was the general reaction you got when you asked for permission on these? On two of them I actually got to speak with a real human. Their eyes started glazing over when I started describing the activity. (I started with the "making folks aware of local history" angle) One owner said words to the effect of, "I don't want people poking around out there", and the other couldn't get past his liability concerns. The third has not responded to either of the letters I've mailed them. That's exactly the opposite of the experience I've had when asking for permission at cemeteries. Several years ago I wanted to set up a big multi at a large in-town cemetery. It was to start at a plaque, take you on a walking tour, then return to a spot just 10 feet from the starting plaque where I had hidden one of those fake rock caches. When I approached the cemetery director, he was quite enthused and eager, before I even fully explained my idea. Unfortunately the turnover rate in the grounds crew meant the cache kept getting cleaned up and discarded in this highly manicured place. Just last week, I approached the funeral director for the cemetery where a recently deceased cacher was about to be memorialized. This cacher had a custom of hiding new caches near events, then posting the coordinates on Dymo labels somewhere within the event establishment. The cache wouldn't be published until later. Given this custom, it was only natural to do the same at his funeral. I first explained geocaching to the funeral director, then explained the deceased cacher's custom, and she was immediately hooked on the idea. I did make a point of explaining that the Dymo labels would be removed, but the cache would remain after the service, and she had "no problem with it." (I'm really proud of the results by the way. Check out the log by "yfbtanky" which was written by his widow.) Quote Link to comment
+ZedTBear Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I don’t like cemetery caches either! To me it seems disrespectful. The thought of wandering thru a cemetery for no good reason conjures up images in my mind of ghouls, zombies, grave robbers, necrophiliacs and people obsessed with death. It also strongly reminds me what our ultimate end will be. I don’t care for that at all. I’ve read many posts of how people just love cemetery caches. Very few people say otherwise. I just don’t get it. I think others that feel like I do should speak up too. To each his own but to me it doesn’t seem right and I avoid them. Quote Link to comment
+Mredria Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I don’t like cemetery caches either! To me it seems disrespectful. The thought of wandering thru a cemetery for no good reason conjures up images in my mind of ghouls, zombies, grave robbers, necrophiliacs and people obsessed with death. It also strongly reminds me what our ultimate end will be. I don’t care for that at all. I’ve read many posts of how people just love cemetery caches. Very few people say otherwise. I just don’t get it. I think others that feel like I do should speak up too. To each his own but to me it doesn’t seem right and I avoid them. You say that you think that they are disrespectful, but what I am reading is that you're afraid of cemetaries. I think if you were more honest with yourself about this, you might have a different attitude. Quote Link to comment
+Lil Devil Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Say you don't get along well with your grandmother. You ignore her, avoid her at get-togethers and never visit her. Then one day you and some buddies want to play football. You don't have a large yard yourself, but you know grandma does. So you and your buddies drive over there, and play football in grandma's yard. She's thrilled to see you, even if it's just through her windows. So which was disrespectful? Ignoring her and staying away, or playing a game in her yard? The same applies to cemeteries. Ignoring them and never visiting them is not a way to show respect. You should visit your cemeteries, even if only to play a game. Cemeteries are not for the dead. Dead people don't care. Cemeteries are for the living to have a place to honor the dead. You can't honor the dead unless you visit them. Quote Link to comment
+Scubasonic Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Cemetery caches go on my ignore list. They are disrespectful, and should be banned. Thank you for trying to force your opinion on everyone. I'm glad you're not running the site. I second that, just went to a cemetery last night was very cool. Scubasonic Quote Link to comment
+wesleykey Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Yep, I sure would. I love cemeteries. Ditto what she said... Quote Link to comment
Clan Riffster Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 One thing I considered was hiding a cache at my brother in law's grave and posting "Permission for this hide given by the property owner, Bruce". Quote Link to comment
+Castle Mischief Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 One thing I considered was hiding a cache at my brother in law's grave and posting "Permission for this hide given by the property owner, Bruce". Not sure how seriously you meant that, but taking it at face value: Huh. How does that work in the legal sense? Does the family ownership of the plot override the property owners of the cemetery? I'm guessing this might vary greatly from state to state...? I haven't had to deal with the burial of a parent or sibling as yet in my life, how much control does one have over the plot once the loved one is "in the ground" so to speak? Who really owns that piece of real estate? Quote Link to comment
+Harry Dolphin Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I don’t like cemetery caches either! To me it seems disrespectful. The thought of wandering thru a cemetery for no good reason conjures up images in my mind of ghouls, zombies, grave robbers, necrophiliacs and people obsessed with death. It also strongly reminds me what our ultimate end will be. I don’t care for that at all. I’ve read many posts of how people just love cemetery caches. Very few people say otherwise. I just don’t get it. I think others that feel like I do should speak up too. To each his own but to me it doesn’t seem right and I avoid them. The cemetery lovers are just very vocal. Don't worry about them. They're strange. There are actually a lot of cachers who find them disrespectful. They're just not as vocal. What I really wish is that cache owners would mention on the cache page that the cache is in a cemetery! Especially since som many of us do not like them. We need an icon for this! Quote Link to comment
+Sioneva Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 <snip> The cemetery lovers are just very vocal. Don't worry about them. They're strange. <snip> What I really wish is that cache owners would mention on the cache page that the cache is in a cemetery! Especially since som many of us do not like them. We need an icon for this! *using best Elvis impersonation* Well, thank you... thank you very much! But a cemetery icon's not a bad idea. Helps out those of us who are 'strange', as well as those of you who don't like cemeteries. I could go for that. Quote Link to comment
+sseegars Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 But a cemetery icon's not a bad idea. Helps out those of us who are 'strange', as well as those of you who don't like cemeteries. I could go for that. Ditto! That would be a great new addition to the icons list! Quote Link to comment
majormajor42 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 so who besides me is thinking of having a small hollowed out space in their tombstone for a cache? Question is who would maintain it??? Quote Link to comment
+ZedTBear Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I like the idea of a cemetary icon! I always use Google Earth to check out the sites. That would save time. (Yes I'm afraid of the prospect of death, but what sane person isn't?) Quote Link to comment
+mantis7 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Personally I love cemetery caches... Cemeteries are places meant to be visited....Just because geocaching is 'a game' does not mean that geocachers have to act disrespectful when they enter a cemetery... Cemeteries are full of history , and part of the reason people (like me) play this game is getting to go to places and learn things you might not have learned otherwise... I haven't heard one good argument against caches in cemeteries....Just people claiming that it is disrepectful.. How is it disrespectful? If the person who placed the cache there took you there in person would that be disrespectful? The person who placed the cache there is 'taking' you there to show you the cemetery. It is up to you to be respectful or disrespectful while you are there.... There are a ton of disrespectful people in the world but I believe that 1) For the most part geocachers are MORE respectful of history and surroundings than most people and 2) if that person is disrespectful it has ZERO to do with geocaching. Bottom Line: Cemetery caches are fine with me, as long as you use common sense. Quote Link to comment
+Mredria Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 (edited) Some sane people arent! I think a cemetary icon would be neat, would help me find caches I like. I don't think its very likely tho. I think people are SAYING these caches are disrespectful, but I think what most of them MEAN is that they are afraid of cemetaries, and have no desire to go there. That's cool, and if a icon will help you avoid them, and me find them, that's cool too. I'm afraid of heights and cliffs, if it is ever an issue icons will help me avoid what I'm afraid of. Edited March 25, 2009 by Mredria Quote Link to comment
+DiamondDaveG Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 so who besides me is thinking of having a small hollowed out space in their tombstone for a cache? Question is who would maintain it??? I am working on a design for a headstone with a removeable cache. It would be maintained by my sons who are both cachers also. One thing did come to mind when I was placing my last cache though. The reviewer asked about the distance between the cache and any actual gravesite. I will have to remember to get a plot with clear access and notify the reviewer in advance that it will be posted for review after the headstone is placed & that i ok'd it. Quote Link to comment
+mfamilee Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I have many fond memories as a little girl strolling through a nearby cemetery with my grandmother who has now passed away. I like to believe she would like the idea of other people also visiting the cemetery... whether they are geocaching or not. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 One of my favorite posts on this subject was from Flask in this thread. I don't think she'd mind me quoting it here: back in the days before geocaching i used to hang out in a cemetery near a camp i went to in the summers. i noticed an interesting configuration of two families buried side-by-side in two different rows and wondered if there was a connection. so i made diagrams and took pictures and then i went to the town offices and spent time in the vaults. the clerk was very friendly and the camp counselors were amused. those people have been gone a long time, but if not for me playing among the graves nobody would be thinking of them. i learned everything i could about them: their birth and death dates, their land records, their enlistments, their birth and death certificates. i was able to trace their migration to my state, and the passage of their careers, the town's history, and the evidence of the epidemics that i knew about but hadn't given much thought to. cholera epidemic took every child a family had. young man died in a prison camp in virginia. family all gone. right on the headstones, it says "remember me as you pass by". who will remember if nobody passes by? recently i was at a cache at a place where a soldier was buried where he fell in the course of a long march during the 1812 war. his name is unknown. who visits him? geocachers, mostly. our old cemeteries are full of civil war dead; our state had the highest per capita casualties in that war. entire hill towns died out because the men never came home. some of the bodies were shipped home. few of those graves have visitors these days. at the end of my street there are both union and confederate dead; where i live it is unusual for there to be confederate dead. the mills are gone. the houses have been razed. the road has been thrown up. the trees have grown back. a geocache means people will come to see. they will get to stand on the steps of the old baptist church even though the steps are all that's left. one day i'll - be buried up there. i hope you'll come visit. - Flask Quote Link to comment
+nevin1977 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 i hit up a few cemetary caches this weekend... all during the day (i don't like cemetaries in the day, why would i go at night) first one was in what was probably a shrub at onetime, but not a tree.... a metal staple/nail had been hammered into the tree and the match container resting in the middle.... nice and easy - reach in grab, sign, repplace and leave second one was in the brick work of a structure, little bench and water pump area. removed the stone that was out of place, grabbed container, and signed and returned. now, i would never put a cache under a shrub that is near somebodys grave out of respect. Quote Link to comment
+happycampers523 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 (edited) I have found several cemetery caches and have placed a couple as well. I wasn't sure of them at first, but after visiting the cemeteries & the caches in them, it really didn't bother me, they were placed with careful consideration and the person placing them put time and effort into them. The history in the cemeteries is amazing. The caches I have placed in cemeteries are puzzle caches and they direct you to something interesting or personal to me. I direct people to maybe some local history, like a military tribute in one country cemetery. I also placed a cache near some of my family, sort of in honor of them, they would have loved geocaching and they really do not have a lot of visitors. This one is located in something placed in the cemetery by my family. Some people may think it's too close to a stone, but it is not touching & you do not need to disturb anything to get at the cache. I would not go as close with a hide if I was not personally involved with the final location. A cemetery is a place of remembrance and a place to honor the deceased, they should be visited. Many cemeteries are really quite pretty and peaceful. What better way to encourage visitors to feel the same thing I do. I want people to visit my grandpa and my other family I never met. I like to think he's smiling down and enjoying the people searching for the answers. He's kicked back with his cigar having a good chuckle. Some of the stones are probably only visited by geocachers. The older stones have history. My 5 year old (gasp, that I take her to cemeteries), loves the history. It generates questions about the years (there was life before 2003), she asks what it was like back then. Most of the time I don't have an answer, but it directs us to history books & centennial books at home, it just opened up a whole new area for my little girl to learn, because she is interested in it. The cemetery is real, she understands the people were real, not just a story in a book. Sure I could do it without a cemetery visit, but why not get outside and have a little adventure. I plan to place another in the future. It has history, an interesting road and a little known country cemetery. It probably isn't the most beautiful, but it has peace just the same. It deserves to be visited and the people & church to be remembered. Besides, practicing CITO in my local cemeteries would certainly help. What better way to honor the deceased then to keep their final home neat. I do hope everyone who visits the cemeteries are respectful to the deceased, the other visitors and do practice CITO. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, do them or don't do them, but if you do visit a cemetery cache, don't just count it as another find, take in a little of the history and think about all the contributions these people have made. It isn't just wondering through with no good reason, bring a trash bag if it makes you feel better. One cemetery I picked up several pieces of trash from apparently non geocachers disrespecting the cemetery. (There wasn't a cache there....) Edited March 26, 2009 by happycampers523 Quote Link to comment
+Chrysalides Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 so who besides me is thinking of having a small hollowed out space in their tombstone for a cache? Question is who would maintain it??? Set up a trust fund for it. Quote Link to comment
Neos2 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I found my 1000th cache the other day --in the same cemetery where my husband's great-great grandparents are buried. It was a pleasure to be able to stop and take photographs of all the headstones. Many of the people buried near them are relatives. Some have different last names, but I recognized a daughter and her husband, and a son and a cousin. No doubt researching those stones will lead me to new information on the family (I do genealogy, too). It reminded me of my childhood, and going to the cemetery with my grandmother. There were several cemeteries she visited, on a rotating schedule. She would fuss around the headstones, placing wreaths or flowers, and pulling weeds. She'd tell us stories about the relatives buried there and about their lives. She had "cemetery friends" too --other ladies her age she only knew from seeing while we were at the cemetery. They'd stop to chat and talk about their long-departed but still missed loved ones and about the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She'd remember the names of those kids and ask Mary how her George was doing at college, or if Francine had her baby yet. Grandma and her friend would sit in the shade and sip ice tea or lemonade from those metal tumblers in neon shades, and we kids would sit on a blanket in the grass to have lunch. Sometimes it was cold chicken and buttered homemade white bread, other times it was biscuits with salty country ham, or leftover meatloaf and pickles. I had to watch my little brother and sister so they didn't get underfoot. Sometimes we'd help pull weeds until my little sister got sleepy, and then we'd lay on the blanket and watch fluffy clouds roll by, trying to see if we could spot a bunny or an elephant in the clouds. My brother always got grubby, and Grandma would pull out one of her hand-tatted hankies make him spit on it so she could scrub some of the dirt off his face. She'd vow he was headed right for the tub when we got home. Sometimes, we'd stop for ice cream on the way home. Quote Link to comment
+va griz Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I've visited several cemeteries that I never would have known about if not for geocaching. If you believe as I do that it's a good thing to pay your respects to those that have gone before us, it seems you would be thankful to be a guest in such a memorable place. I can see the point that this is just a game and as such shouldn't be played on hallowed ground. But I think the vast majority of cachers can visit such a place with respect, even while looking for a rolled up slip of paper. Those few who are disrespectful are that way by nature, not because they are in a cemetery. In closing I'll show you a picture of a tombstone that was pointed out to me by a cache. It's roughly from the civil war period. Maybe I like cemeteries because they point out that we're short timers in this world, and maybe others don't like them for the same reason? Quote Link to comment
+DavidMac Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 To us geocaching is about peace and serenity. I like caches in cemeteries where you can reflect and things are quiet. Maybe it's a regional thing, I don't know, but in my part of the country a cemetery is sometimes not the place to go for peace and quiet. The rural ones are not as busy, but a number of the more urban cemeteries around here are set up like parks... many times when hunting for cemetery caches I've had to wait out joggers, couples walking dogs, tour groups, kids running in circles, birdwatchers, or couples enjoying lunch on the picnic tables. Yes, on the picnic tables. Personally, if a cemetery is set up with amenities that encourage visitors to stay and enjoy the grounds, then I don't mind placing or finding a respectfully done cache there. I recognize that it may be different in other regions, so I'm always sensitive to local concerns when traveling. Quote Link to comment
+knabino Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I have done many cemetery caches and enjoy most all of them. If they are done tastefully and provide a bit of history for the area, they are serving a greater purpose than just another yellow smiley. When the cache is placed inside of the cemetery, it does need to be done with more care than those that are just on the edge. My personal preference for these are done as multis or puzzles where I am brought to a specific headstone (Singing Cowboy near Beaumont Texas is a great example of this even though I had a DNF). Only twice have I come across people who were visiting a grave site. In both cases, the cache was on the other side of the cemetery. In the first, when we pulled up, we thought "oh there is a group of cachers". Turned out, we were both right and wrong about that. They WERE cachers, but were there to 'visit' a family member. When we had gotten to the cache location, I did like always do and started to wander around photographing old stones (I have been doing this for 30 years) while my caching partner was looking for the cache. The family came over to us and started talking to us, giving us the history of the cemetery and we had a very nice visit with them. Would I ever approach a cache if there were people right near it? No. But then I have never approached a headstone to photograph it if people were right by it either. That is just plain disrespectful IMO. Quote Link to comment
+ZedTBear Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I still don’t get the fascination with cemeteries. There are many fascinating places in this world full of wonderful sights and rich history. Why single out cemeteries as so great? Other than paying respect to those buried there, poking around a cemetery seems morbid and disrespectful. Also muggles would see this as highly suspicious and rightly so. Quote Link to comment
+Mredria Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 (edited) I still don’t get the fascination with cemeteries. There are many fascinating places in this world full of wonderful sights and rich history. Why single out cemeteries as so great? Other than paying respect to those buried there, poking around a cemetery seems morbid and disrespectful. Also muggles would see this as highly suspicious and rightly so. I think many people have listed why cemeteries are so great. They are historical, they are quiet, they are usually well maintained, people who are buried there or who have had people buried there would want people to visit graves and remember... Another good example, there's a Settler's Cemetery here in Pearland that has a historical marker. It is where the first settlers of Pearland are buried. Another example I'd pick would be the Alamo. People crawl all over that building constantly, picnic there, party there... and a 115 Texans died there. It's not morbid to visit there, is it? But good-o, like you say, there is a world FULL of sights and history, so you don't need to go to cemeteries if you don't want. Edited March 26, 2009 by Mredria Quote Link to comment
+Knight2000 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Since we have children we use geocaching as an educational tool. Whether we are at a tank/copter at a VFW, dam, lock, spillway, train car, abandoned ______, rock formation, mausoleum, or cemetery- they can all be educational. At cemeteries we like to take time to look at the headstones and many times take pictures with them. We especially like the older cemeteries. We ponder what their lives might have been like and why they may have died at such a young age. One of our favorite cemetery caches has many large mausoleums. It was lots of fun investigating them and looking inside. Another one where a cache was at in WV was old and no longer kept up. It was vandalized and you could see inside some of the vaults. We didn't do this one at night! LoL! Of course, YMMV. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I still don’t get the fascination with cemeteries. There are many fascinating places in this world full of wonderful sights and rich history. Why single out cemeteries as so great?... Death was around before Tax. Our forfathers led us to be who we are. We wonder about them, we wonder if we live up to their expectations, if they would be proud. We wonder about our brothers who live before we did and wonder about them. We are fascinated by our world. You are correct to point out that cemetaries are but one part, still it's one very strong part. They are not so much singled out as the end all be all of great caching, but merely the topic of this thread. That some folks get angst when they feel others are being disrespectful makes the topic more common than say, "hiding a cache near a peaceful river". Quote Link to comment
+happycampers523 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I still don’t get the fascination with cemeteries. There are many fascinating places in this world full of wonderful sights and rich history. Why single out cemeteries as so great? Other than paying respect to those buried there, poking around a cemetery seems morbid and disrespectful. Also muggles would see this as highly suspicious and rightly so. Cemeteries are being singled out in this thread, because the question was about cemeteries. I enjoy many different caches in many locations. You really are missing out some historical information. Cemeteries are not my only facination, but they are caches I will not exclude. My favorite cemetery caches are the puzzle caches. If you are just 'poking' around the cemetery looking for the cache for a smiley face, maybe you shouldn't be there. What is so morbid? The fact that people are dead? Why do people put these beautiful stones with a picture of their house or farm or even a picture of themselves on it, if no one is to visit? The families have photographs, the families know what the old house looks like. It is for you and me, it is for the future. Why did a cemetery near me place a very nice military memorial if no one should visit? We have a huge, well known, war memorial in the area with a virtual cache....it is all about remembering the dead. It's a Military memorial, but almost all cemeteries have military buried there. It may not have bodies buried there, but it is very much the same. This place gets thousands of visitors, geocachers and otherwise. The caretakers love visitors, you can even have a picnic. Is it disrespectful if I visit there, caching or not? Is it morbid? What's the point if no one visits?? Why are some cemeteries almost park like, if no one is to visit? Why are there benches, if I shouldn't visit? Cemeteries are for visiting and even if we are playing a 'game' I'm a visitor just the same. It's all how you approach it. If you are in it just for the number, then maybe cemetery caches aren't for you. If you are caching for adventure, visiting new places, seeing history, then maybe they are for you. If anyone questions why you are visiting a cemetery or looking at a particular stone, even if you have a piece of paper and a GPS, they are being disrespectful. Even if you are looking in a bush or a tree, who's to say you aren't visiting a relative or friend in the cemetery. Who's to say you didn't see a branch that needed pruning or a piece of trash. The cemetery caches I've been to, don't require a lot of 'poking' around. Who's to say you are suspicious. Use common sense when searching, you could look just as suspicious poking around a deadend road or the city park looking for a cache. Everyone can have their own opinions, just keep an open mind to what you may be missing. Now I'm off to visit great grandma and grandpa to check on the cache that I placed. Quote Link to comment
+Harry Dolphin Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 <snip> The cemetery lovers are just very vocal. Don't worry about them. They're strange. <snip> What I really wish is that cache owners would mention on the cache page that the cache is in a cemetery! Especially since som many of us do not like them. We need an icon for this! *using best Elvis impersonation* Well, thank you... thank you very much! But a cemetery icon's not a bad idea. Helps out those of us who are 'strange', as well as those of you who don't like cemeteries. I could go for that. Attribute icon is what I meant. That way I can filter them out from my PQs! Quote Link to comment
+Sioneva Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 <snip> The cemetery lovers are just very vocal. Don't worry about them. They're strange. <snip> What I really wish is that cache owners would mention on the cache page that the cache is in a cemetery! Especially since som many of us do not like them. We need an icon for this! *using best Elvis impersonation* Well, thank you... thank you very much! But a cemetery icon's not a bad idea. Helps out those of us who are 'strange', as well as those of you who don't like cemeteries. I could go for that. Attribute icon is what I meant. That way I can filter them out from my PQs! I know. That's what I meant, too. So I can create a special PQ just of cemetery caches... thereotically. Actually, I doubt I'd single them out like that. I just enjoy pot luck. And I like to think I'm more respectful then I was when I was out on field trips to historical cemetaries, doing grave rubbings as a kid... Though I don't think that was disrespectful either, tombstones were meant to be read and remembered, else why would they have words on them? Quote Link to comment
+DiamondDaveG Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I still don’t get the fascination with cemeteries. There are many fascinating places in this world full of wonderful sights and rich history. Why single out cemeteries as so great? Other than paying respect to those buried there, poking around a cemetery seems morbid and disrespectful. Also muggles would see this as highly suspicious and rightly so. In one cemetery near you there is a former President of the United States, former a member of a President's cabinet who previously was the personal secretery to another President, a former Governor of the State of Ohio, an extremely famous FBI Agent, a world famous philanthropist & head of an extremely famous family, many former Mayors of Cleveland (including Cleveland's first black Mayor), many state and US Senators and Representatives and the only baseball player killed during a game among other famous and not so famous persons. If I took my sons there for a history lesson would you still view it as morbid, disrespectful and highly suspicious? I have no problem with caches that are placed respectfully. There is a lot of history to be discovered in cemeteries. Quote Link to comment
+Konnarock Kid & Marge Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 (edited) I see absolutely nothing wrong with placing a cache within a cemetery if it is done with respect to the occupants. I don't think a cemetery should be treated with the same respect as a lamp post or guard rail. We have two cemetery caches and we are proud of them because they honor some of the people who are buried there. One honors a WAC of WWII plus a Dough boy of WWI. The other honors two veterans of the Civil War. One was a Yankee and the other a Johnny Reb. Both survived the War and are nearly buried side-by-side which is illustrative of how divided our inhabitants were because of the conflict. However, due to one ex reviewers interpretation of the law, I don't believe future cemetery caches can be placed in Tennessee! P.S. I must admit to 'hanging' out and spending far too much time in many, many cemeteries. Sound weird? No, I am a deep into genealogy! Edited March 28, 2009 by Konnarock Kid & Marge Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I still don’t get the fascination with cemeteries. There are many fascinating places in this world full of wonderful sights and rich history. Why single out cemeteries as so great? Other than paying respect to those buried there, poking around a cemetery seems morbid and disrespectful. Also muggles would see this as highly suspicious and rightly so. Because cemeteries are fascinating places rich, with history. Is it disrespectful if I poke around a cemetery while doing genealogy research? Is it disrespectful if I poke around a cemetery to study the sometimes amazing artwork that goes into the memorials? Is it disrespectful if I poke around a cemetery to paint or photograph the scenery? Is it disrespectful if I go bird watching in a cemetery? They are singled out in this thread because somebody brought it up, but to many of us they are just one of the many fascinating places that geocaching can take us. Quote Link to comment
+SixDogTeam Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I still don’t get the fascination with cemeteries. There are many fascinating places in this world full of wonderful sights and rich history. Why single out cemeteries as so great? Other than paying respect to those buried there, poking around a cemetery seems morbid and disrespectful. Also muggles would see this as highly suspicious and rightly so. Because cemeteries are fascinating places rich, with history. Is it disrespectful if I poke around a cemetery while doing genealogy research? Is it disrespectful if I poke around a cemetery to study the sometimes amazing artwork that goes into the memorials? Is it disrespectful if I poke around a cemetery to paint or photograph the scenery? Is it disrespectful if I go bird watching in a cemetery? They are singled out in this thread because somebody brought it up, but to many of us they are just one of the many fascinating places that geocaching can take us. WHAT HE SAID! Quote Link to comment
+angevine Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 This is really an example of what works for one person doesn't work for another, and everyone's mileage varies. I believe in obeying Groundspeak's guidelines, and beyond that ... well, it really is a matter of personal preference. If you don't like caches in cemeteries, don't place one there, and don't go after ones that are placed there. An earlier poster was correct: thinking of cemeteries as places that are—to borrow the word—sterile is a very modern concept. I think that I honor the dead every time I walk through a cemetery (and I do it often) and read their names on their stones, puzzle out their relationships, speculate on their deaths. I also take a lot of photographs in graveyards; you might find that offensive as well. You have the right to find it an offensive practice, and you even have the right to complain about it and to put forward your reasons for finding it offensive; hopefully you feel that people have listened to you here... and hopefully you've been able to hear alternative points of view as well. Jeannette (angevine) Quote Link to comment
+Singletree Expedition Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 When this thread first started, I would've been hesitant to say that I appreciated cemetery caches any more than other caches. But after some thought and reminiscing I realize that some of our caching highlights have involved cemeteries and memorial sites. In fact, the first cache we ever found was in a cemetery. Many of our visits have led to strong emotion. For this reason, I understand the hesitation... but I've never felt that a cache was disrespectful. Many times, I have seen an area adversely impacted by a search for a cache. Yet, I have never seen this in a cemetery. Often, the area is improved. That said, if I thought for a moment that a family member of the deceased could perceive a cache as disrespectful then I would not hide or seek the cache. Quote Link to comment
+PT_Tex Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I have a cache in a cemetery where I wrote a poem with clue words that are on headstone. As you find the clues you get closer to the cache which is in a fence post. I have only received positive feedback and everyone always enjoys leaning about the history of the area. I like to take pictures of the old angel statues. Quote Link to comment
+3doxies Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 We've always really enjoyed cemetery caches, particularly those in older ones. Have seen a few placements that had resulted in less-than-desirable effects on shrubbery, but for the most part there really have been no other traces. (As with caches placed elsewhere, the hider probably does need to consider what effects those hunting can/will have on the cover being used.) Perhaps the best approach to cemetery hides we've seen is a multi-cache approach, taking you to various points of interest witihin the cemetery (monuments, headstones, etc) before leading to the final cache located nearer the periphery. As a by-product of visiting several cemetery caches in our area, we've found the resting places of some ancestors that were otherwise unknown to the "geneophiles" in the family. Quote Link to comment
AZcachemeister Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 IN the cemetery, probably not. At the gate or somewhere nearby, most definitely. Quote Link to comment
+WRASTRO Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Done well in the cemetery...absolutely. Outside the cemetery, maybe or maybe not. A cemetery should be a place to honor and remember those who have gone before us, not a place to avoid and dread. One of my favorite finds was in a cemetery where quite a few of my relatives are buried. In fact the multi took me right by the graves of my relatives. I cried when I remembered them and I cried when I posted my log remembering them. I loved them when they were alive and I love them now. Visiting their graves reminded me of family and history. Why would I want anyone to tell me I shouldn't or couldn't visit my relatives and remember them? A cache is what the finder makes of it. Quote Link to comment
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